the park school of baltimore | the park school of baltimore | 24252425 old court road, baltimore, md old court road, baltimore, md 2120821208April 29, 2020 Volume 77 Issue No.8 THE POSTSCRIPT

How do you hire in a pandemic?

by ALINA GLASS ’22, LILAH LICHT-MAN ’21, and LEAH PICKUS ’22

Isolat ion af fects s t u d e n t h e a l t h

Seniors celebrate at virtual brunch

by LIZA SHEEHY ’21

The global coronavirus pandemic has af-fected every aspect of school. In addition to classes, sports, and arts, the faculty and ad-ministration have been forced to rethink many other aspects of the spring semester, including the way departments, particularly in the Upper School, go about hiring new teachers.

Head of School Dan Paradis and Associate Head of School Priscilla Morales were aware of potential school closures several months ago, and began to be proactive about redesigning the hiring process. They turned to several different resources for help, including the educational search firms that they work with to find can-didates.

“Because the international schools and the Seattle schools had already begun closing at that point, all of the major education search firms had already started thinking about this and put-ting plans in place,” Morales said.

The hiring process always begins with ad-ministrators and departments narrowing down the candidate pool for the position they are hir-ing for. This work usually begins in January or February and can last several weeks.

Under normal circumstances, the next step would be to bring candidates to campus in the spring. However, with school closed indefinite-ly, this crucial piece of the process has been redesigned.

The Senior Brunch, a cherished school tra-dition, is an acknowledgement of the seniors’ completion of classes and transition into Senior Projects (for those who have chosen to com-plete one). This event brings together the senior class, along with the Upper School faculty and administration, to celebrate them, their achieve-ments, and their time at Park before the end of the school year.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and school closure, the brunch was held over Zoom. The seniors were each sent a Grubhub gift card to order food for delivery, and joined each other virtually.

“[The brunch] is a tradition that I was really looking forward to,” Gabe Collazo ’20 said. “I think that the faculty did a great job adjusting and trying their hardest to make it still seem

by ADDIE FLEMING ’21 “This is going to be the biggest challenge because the actual school grounds are almost like their own interview session,” Morales said. “You have to see the hundred acres, and what Upper School looks like, and what the fishbowl and classrooms look like. It’s all such a major part of the process.”

Morales feels lucky because it is a relatively light hiring season for all divisions, including the Upper School, where there are only three positions open.

During a candidate’s normal interview day at Park, they would meet with Morales and Para-dis, the department they are interviewing for, and a student panel, as well as teach a demo lesson. It’s a packed schedule, and now needs to be entirely rethought.

“There are aspects of the process that we are still working out because none of us have ever had to do this before,” Upper School History Chair Liz Proctor said. “We are trying to stay as true as possible to our typical hiring process, which means that we want candidates to have as many touch points or contacts as possible.”

The parts of the interview day which will most likely stay consistent are the meetings between candidates and various members of the Park community.

Candidates will still meet virtually with ad-ministrators, the department they are interview-ing for, and students.

On March 31, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued a statewide stay-at-home or-der to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.“No Marylander shall be leaving their home unless it is for an essential job or an essential reason,” Hogan said.

Staying in your house for a prolonged period of time is uncharted territory for most of us. Constant Zoom classes, a lack of social interac-tion, and creating a whole new routine can take a toll on students and teachers alike. It leaves us wondering how exactly this uprooting of our lives affects us physically and emotionally, and what are some strategies to help us stay healthy?

A review of the psychological impacts of quarantine by The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, defines the root causes of dis-tress in quarantine to be “confinement, loss of usual routine, and reduced social and physical contact with others.”

These factors can fuel a range of emotions, including frustration, boredom, and a sense of isolation. This feeling of isolation or loneli-ness seems to be the most prevalent emotion among quarantined teens. “Being alone with our thoughts when we are in that state is not healthy, and without knowing how to cope with [it] our mental health can deteriorate,” Director of Middle and Upper School Counseling and Wellness Krista Dhruv said.

Not seeing your classmates in person also means having to complete homework and class-work alone, which can lead to a lack of motiva-tion. Having every form of distraction at your fingertips certainly doesn’t help. It’s easy to get sucked into your phone during quarantine. As screen time and boredom reach new levels, many students feel frustrated.

Quarantine can also leave you feeling like you have no control over the situation, creating even more frustration. Sitting at home and being badgered with the constant influx of frighten-ing statistics isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a good time. Dhruv also pointed out the feeling of ambiguous grief that can come with social isolation. She described it as a “sense of loss, but not for one specific thing.”

All of these emotions can have even even more of a negative effect on individuals who are prone to depression and anxiety. Another particularly vulnerable group of individuals in this situation are “individuals for whom home isn’t a safe, affirming space,” Dhruv said.

Despite all of these daunting negative conse-quences, there are a few silver linings. Staying home gives a chance for students to pick up new hobbies or learn new skills. There’s also an opportunity to spend more quality time with your family. The abundance of free time forces us to pause, reflect, and relax, which the chaos of our normal lives generally doesn’t allow.

Along with the emotional and mental adjust-ments to school from home, many students are experiencing physical changes as well. One of the most apparent differences is the extra time we spend sitting and staring at a computer. With no natural walking breaks between our classes, it takes more effort to get moving throughout the day.

Sitting for large portions of the day is re-sponsible for the short-term side effects many students have been experiencing: restlessness, back and neck pain, and fatigue. These all can be caused by bad posture.

A “forward leaning posture,” which many settle into while using devices, “puts additional pressure on your spine,” Upper School science teacher Carla Guarraia said. “That will put your

authentic, which it was.”The brunch is also an opportunity for seniors

to reminisce about their years at Park before they graduate. “My time at Park was something I know I’ll treasure and brag about for the rest of my life,” Sonee Goles ’20 said. “While we weren’t actually together for the senior brunch, and the class of 2020 likely won’t get the cel-ebration I’ve been imagining since I was five and shuffled shyly into Joanne’s kindergarten class, I am lucky to have teachers and adminis-trators who work so hard to still make this time special for us.”

The class of 2020 is a strong group of stu-dents who have much to be proud of, despite the fact that the end of their senior year has been disrupted by this pandemic. “I hope that as best they can, [the seniors] just continue to celebrate,” Upper School Dean of Students Traci Wright said.

cartoon by Anton Shtarkman ’20 see HIRING, pg. 3

photo courtesy Lucy Demsky ’21On April 24, the community tuned into Park’s first virtual Goldsoundz. Per-formances were pre-recorded, while seniors Arenal Haut and Sam Patter-son hosted live via Zoom. The event was organized by Upper School music teacher Adele Dinnerstein and Michael Foster ’20. see HEALTH, pg. 3

Editorial The Postscript2 April 29, 2020//

NewsJacob Hirschhorn

Lilah Lichtman Liza Sheehy

Sports Callie Krosin

Jacob Peres

Quinn Seidenman

Features Lucy Demsky

Aaron Hirschhorn

Commentary Ethan Adler

Addie Fleming

CartoonsAddy Claybour

POLICIESWE WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, UNSOLICITED OP-ED PIECES, AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS. PLEASE SEND

WORK TO POSTSCRIPT@PARKSCHOOL.NET. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL SUBMISSIONS FOR LANGUAGE AND

LENGTH. SUBMISSIONS ARE PUBLISHED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE EDITORS.

The PostscriptThe Park School of Baltimore

2425 Old Court Road, Baltimore, MD 21208 Tel. 410-339-7070

Parkschool.net/news/postscriptApril 29, 2020

Volume 77|Issue No. 8

Faculty AdvisersJon Acheson

Leela Chantrelle

Editors-in-ChiefTalia Kolodkin, Bella Palumbi, Anton Shtarkman

school PoPulation: students—829; emPloyees—210distributed to mailboxes of uPPer school students and emPloyees,

and lower and middle school students by faculty requestmailed to current Parents by letter Perfect

coPies Printed—1300member of the columbia scholastic Press assn

Sam Cochran

Arts and Culture Arenal Haut

Jesse Feller-KoPman

Darya Zarfeshan

Photography Sonee Goles

Seth Hudes

Zoë Pickard

The Postscript is a wholly extracurricular publication of the Upper School committed to publishing truthful, objective, and high-quality content that informs the broader community. Our purpose is to hold the school and the administration accountable, and if we make an error, we ask you to hold us accountable, too. We encourage all members of the community to contribute to the paper by writing letters to the editor.

by ERIC SMITH ’22

Head to HeadHow should grading work?

It goes without saying that this is a tricky topic, as each side of the argument for con-tinuing with grades or going pass/fail for the semester has its own merits. Colleges are aware that we are navigating difficult times, and will respect our dedication and hardwork.

However, even the most fastidious of work-ers deserve a break, which is why I believe that we should have a mixed system whereby students are offered the choice to pick one or two classes that are the most challenging in the online format to be graded on a pass/fail basis, with the remainder of their classes to be graded utilizing the traditional letter-based system.

As much as one can claim that grades cause stress and anxiety, the benefits of keeping a traditional letter-based system in place cannot entirely be ignored. Grades are a show of how well you have understood and mastered the material. Knowing exactly how well you have performed in a subject and in relation to your peers provides a certain kind of relaxation in its own right, especially if the certain topic is one you love and are willing to invest a large portion of your time into.

This mastery is something that colleges want to see. Whatever college you want to apply to will not forget that you still managed to get an A amid the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Colleges want students that can delve into hot water and manage to emerge unscathed. A total pass/fail environment jettisons this admi-rable endeavor. The bar is significantly lowered with an A and a C falling under the same perfor-mance level. Is it fair for the student who puts

forth an above-average performance to not be able to distinguish themselves from the student who sees little incentive to work harder than the bare minimum to pass the course?

Additionally, what is the motivation for stu-dents to put in extra work? If you get a C on a test or paper, what is the point of correcting it? Why toil and exert additional energy when it will ultimately present as the same to colleges? Although I believe grades hold great signifi-cance and value in our school, I also understand that there may be challenges when the learning environment is wholly at home.

While Park tries to offer a multitude of re-sources, many students may not have the tools needed to effectively study and learn in their home environment. Not to mention, some classes are noticeably more difficult to conduct online than in person. Therefore, I believe in these unprecedented times students should have the choice to alleviate stress by opting into the pass/fail grading system for one or two classes.

Still, when pursuing that coveted internship, scholarship, or admission into a competitive college in the near future, you will need to exhibit that you are able to perform at a high level and do well in other classes that perhaps you might not be the most invested. Thus, the option of one or two pass/fail graded classes is most appropriate.

The remainder of the classes in the student’s roster would stay in the traditional letter-based grading system so that the student could focus on demonstrating their mastery of the content of their chosen areas of concentration. This modi-fied grading system will allow more focused time and energy on the classes that we truly love.

I recognize arguments against going pass/fail for the remainder of the year, but there is a strong argument to be made for a pass/fail grading system, centered around changes in how classes are run, the stress caused by living through a pandemic, and concerns for equity.

Classes at Park are often centered around discussion and participation, and while virtual classes over Zoom are fulfilling some of that goal, they are generally unable to be conducted in the same way that they were before moving online. Classes are shorter, less frequent, and interrupted by technical difficulties. Teachers and students alike are facing a learning curve right now, and it seems logical to modify our grading system to reflect that.

There are a lot of unknowns right now, not only about the impact of the virus on our school community, but also about the impact on grades and therefore college admissions. Many col-leges have stated that they will not penalize students for pass/fail grades at this time, and have transitioned to pass/fail themselves. Tran-sitioning to pass/fail for the remainder of the year would take some stress off of students. School can be an escape from the uncertainties of this time and it allows us to experience some normalcy and routine. We have the opportunity to continue learning and connecting, and that is somewhat hampered by worries about grades.

I appreciate the desire to continue learning and grading with the same level of rigor, but, now more than ever, the purpose of school is not to be an added level of stress, but to be a source

of normalcy, connection, and the continuance of learning. While colleges do look for students who can persevere and continue to achieve through difficult times, it is unfair to expect that students must show these qualities during a global pandemic. We have the privilege to continue our learning online, but not everybody has the same resources to ensure success while learning at home. Every student’s situation is different, and in the interest of equity, it does not seem fair to assume that every student can perform to the same level at home that they do at school, and that grades can be given out as normal. Baltimore County Public Schools have recognized this, and have moved to pass/fail for the remainder of the year while continuing with learning online.

I respect students’ concern for their grades, and while many may feel that online learning will not hinder their ability to perform to their standards, the school operates as a unit. Grading policies should show concern for the student body as a whole, and this involves an awareness for the students that do not have the necessary resources, whatever they may be, to perform well at home.

No solution to this problem is perfect. We are living in uncertain and unprecedented times, and everybody is trying to find the best balance between continuing life as normal and accom-modating for the difficulties that the coronavirus is presenting. The most important aspect of the argument for pass/fail is a concern for equity and the recognition that these are not normal times. Every student is impacted differently by COVID-19 and the transition to online learning, and the most equitable solution is to level the playing field.

ENTIRELY PASS/FAILby SYLVIE WOLFF ’21

A COMBINATION of PASS/FAIL and LETTER

This is our last editorial, our last opportunity to speak from this platform. We love Park, but we have some big questions. Looking back, some of the most important work we’ve done this year has been critical of the school. We plastered photos of the September climate march on our first cover of the year, and have continued to press the school about emissions and sustainability. In November, we published a spread about the Senior Girls’ Lunch, docu-menting the thoughts and feelings of the girls and women of our community. Our Letters to the Editor surrounding that topic sparked dis-cussions in the halls, classrooms, and off cam-pus for months afterward.

We continued the work of previous editorial teams in pointing out the lack of diversity in the faculty and student body; we should have covered this more, in fact. We do this work be-cause Park can be better. We believe strongly in this community, the people who inhabit it, and, most importantly, its ability to evolve and improve. We would not keep bringing up these issues if we thought nothing would ever change.

Our time as editors-in-chief, and as Park stu-dents, has come to an end. It has been a sudden end, rather sooner and with less celebration than we expected. Now, we pass the torch to three new editors: Addie Fleming ’21, Callie Krosin ’21, and Liza Sheehy ’21.

We know that they will continue to do the work that matters, the challenging work, the un-comfortable work. We know this because they love Park just as much as we do. They will push for the school to fulfill its true potential as a progressive educational institution. The paper is in good hands. We can’t wait to see where they take it and how they in turn will use it as a tool for progress, as we have tried to do during

our time at the helm. Although our community has less energy to

focus on them now, Park’s persistent problems have followed us into the pandemic. There is still gender imbalance in the (virtual) class-room, our community still sorely lacks diver-sity, and Park is still not a leader in fighting climate change.

Despite all this, right now, we want to talk about how we love our school. As seniors, we lost Park abruptly, just as we were getting ready to contemplate losing it forever. We feel lucky that Park is a place that makes being away from it so difficult. We are happy that the friends and classmates we’ve met are so wonderful that not being with them every single day is a struggle. Saying a sudden goodbye to our teachers is devastating, because they are some of the best people we know, and they have changed our lives in remarkable ways.

We’ll miss the impromptu dancing in the annex, the mad dashes back to campus after getting bubble tea during X block, and bickering about fonts late into the night in the Pub (our Postscript office).

As a final note, we want to say thank you. First and foremost, thank you to our advisors, Jon and Leela. Without you, we would be super hungry, have no editorials, and be thoroughly lost in a variety of ways. You are what make us love this job so much.

Thank you to the entire Postscript team, all our writers, photographers, cartoonists, and es-pecially our section editors. There would be no paper without your outstanding contributions and hard work.

And, of course, thank you to our readers! We ourselves look forward to reading the Postscript for years to come.

Goodbye

3News The Postscript April 29, 2020//Distance learning poses challenges to hiring processHIRING from pg. 1

“That might look different because we’re not in the building, but in order to understand Park, you have to understand our people. We could not take students out of the interview process. They are what we do. They are why you come to Park,” Morales said.

Arguably the most important part of a can-didate’s normal interview day is the demo les-son. With all classes now being taught through Zoom or other platforms, departments have had to rethink the way they are going to assess a candidate’s teaching abilities. Every depart-ment has different things they are looking for in a teacher, so they have each been able to reimagine the demo lesson in slightly different ways. A candidate might choose to do a virtual lesson interacting with Park students, but the department chairs and Morales didn’t want to

make that a requirement. “We want candidates to teach the lesson that’s going to showcase their best teaching. I have been letting the can-didates know that, should they make it to the final round, they and I would work together on what would be the best way for them to show

a native speaker, we want to be able to hear them speaking,” Upper School Modern Lan-guage Chair Jenny Sorel said. “We also are a department that really values oral proficiency, so we want to see during the sample lesson how much the teacher is speaking and how much the

with them,” Proctor said.Though traditional in-person interactions

between candidates and students likely won’t happen, student voice remains an important aspect of the hiring process.

“I would say that student opinion really does matter to us, and this time it matters even more because we really want to hear from students about what their interactions were like,” Proc-tor said.

Administrators and faculty are doing their best to redesign the hiring process, but a lot is lost by simply being away from campus.“I still remember walking into the Park School for the first time on my interview day,” Rogers said. “I couldn’t pinpoint it at the time, but there was this palpable energy coming from being in the school, and now we don’t have that anymore, and we’re not going to be able to recreate it in any meaningful way.”

bones out of optimal alignment and will in-crease the wear and tear on bones and joints.” Long periods of sitting make it difficult to undo long-term physical effects, even with periods of short, intense exercise. Frequent breaks for stretching and movement are best. Students are also experiencing the adverse physical effects of increased screen time. Because the majority of classes are conducted via Zoom, homework takes place online, and social interaction is now impossible to do without screens, student time online has increased dramatically from before. “I am beginning to experience headaches from this excessive use of screens,” Sam Ferraro ’21 said. “While talking to my friends, I realized that I am not alone.” Another student reported using eye drops to soothe irritated eyes.

This makes sense; overexposure to blue light can cause strained eyes, headaches, as well as disrupted sleep schedules, which cause their own host of physical issues. There is also the strain that comes from the need to have a Zoom-ready appearance. Additionally, constantly looking at the camera limits our ability to take the natural micro-breaks we usually do, like looking around at our environment or doodling. This increased use of screens, as well as shifting schedules and habits, can disrupt our natural circadian rhythm. “I’ve heard that many stu-dents are staying up a lot later, and while they’re able to sleep in later, fatigue dysregulates your hunger signals,” Guarraia said.

Keeping up good physical and emotional habits is the cornerstone of healthy living. “Sleeping, not being in pain, and not being stressed, those are all things that have been proven to improve one’s immune system re-sponse,” Guarraia said.

Although the negative effects of quarantine can seem overwhelming, there are many simple ways to combat them. Exercising regularly and eating well-balanced meals is a sure way to stay healthy during quarantine, as well as limiting

your screen time and use of social media. When reading the news, you will probably find that most of the stories are related to the coronavi-rus, and too much of that can have a negative effect on your mental health. Although it can be difficult, limiting the time you spend on social media and reading the news is very important, as well as limiting your screen time in general.

Being in quarantine has changed our lives dramatically, which is one of the main reasons that many people struggle with it. Our schedules are very different from what they normally are, which can be hard to get used to. In an article written by Jane Kelly and published by UVA-Today, it is recommended to establish a daily routine that’s similar to what you did before quarantine, while also trying new activities and projects to avoid boredom. “This combination of structure and variation keeps people settled and stimulated - both important for emotional well-being.”

Taking care of your mental health during quarantine can also mean making time to do activities that you enjoy, as well as finding new activities or projects to try. This could include anything from taking walks, to organizing your room, to doing art projects. Taking time to do fun or relaxing activities is a great way to com-bat boredom. Staying active is always very im-portant, but especially during quarantine. In an article in The New York Times, Anna Goldfarb writes that “you don’t need fancy equipment or a lot of time; you just need to weave exercise into your schedule.” As long as you’re making time to exercise regularly, any type of move-ment counts.

Being in isolation can be very stressful, and talking to people you trust is a good way to help with that. Whether it’s on the phone, on FaceTime or on Zoom, talking to friends and family is a great way to minimize stress or just escape boredom. Although staying in isolation can be difficult, it is the best thing that we can do to keep ourselves and everyone else safe and healthy.

How to stay healthy at homeISOLATION from pg. 1

Pandemic wreaks havoc on world of standardized testingby BELLA PALUMBI ’20

The global coronavirus pandemic hit the standardized testing industry hard. Drastic changes have been implemented, making waves in an already strange spring semester, especially for juniors.

Most immediately, the upcoming Advanced Placement (AP) exams have been moved on-line, and will take place between May 11 and May 22. Normally, exams are taken in person and on paper, and last two to three hours each. This year, each test will take less than an hour, including time for answering questions, upload-ing answers, and taking breaks. Each exam will have two questions, both short-answer, and no multiple choice.

months to take these exams, there are concerns about the security, validity, and accessibility of the modified tests. In an open letter to the Col-lege Board, a group of educators wrote: “Stu-dents are learning in crisis, not only learning at a distance, and many have to look after younger siblings, compete for time on one household computer, care for ill parents, or work in places like grocery stores to support their family fi-nances.”

The new technology requirements pose chal-lenges for students who may not have reliable Internet access or a safe, quiet place to work. Scoring lower than you would under normal cir-cumstances could have many consequences, as you may not qualify for credit to skip introduc-tory college courses, and you may find yourself a less competitive applicant for scholarships as well as for acceptance at colleges with already selective admissions. Additionally, there are concerns around distribution of accomodations, like extra time, large print, or a Braille exam. The College Board website reads: “Students approved to use specific devices or aids may use what they have access to at home.”

The SAT and ACT tests have also been af-fected, with SAT testing dates for the spring all cancelled. “My biggest worry about stan-dardized testing is the uncertainty of them all,” Harris said. “I was going to take the SAT in March, but it was cancelled due to coronavirus, and it’s not completely confirmed when I can take it again, because the next date might also be cancelled.”

Many students take the SAT only one time, but it’s also common to test twice, once in the spring, and again in the fall. Hannibal said this might prove harder with all the tests being in the fall, but still thinks “most kids should be able to test twice, at least, assuming the cur-rent fall schedule does not change. But it very well could.”

For now, fall SATs will be administered in person, but there have been rumblings that even those tests may have to be moved online. The outcome of the online APs in May will inform such decisions. “I think [College Board is] go-ing to use that data and that exercise to figure out how feasible it is to do the SAT from home,” Hannibal said, though he noted that he doesn’t think that the SAT will end up being online in the fall.

A move online, though unlikely at this point, would require a huge SAT redesign from Col-lege Board, a process which usually takes many years and extensive iteration. It would have to be done in a single summer and rolled out start-ing in early fall.

“There are already enough questions out there about how valid the test is, how biased the test is, and there are fears that rushing an online test would only exacerbate the problems

the test already has,” Hannibal said. With all these cancellations and modifica-

tions, the 2020 standardized testing season has been altered to such an extent that no one knows how college admissions will be affected. Over 1000 United States colleges and universities are already ‘test-optional,’ meaning that applicants do not need to take standardized tests to apply.

“At the end of the day,” junior MJ Smith said, “College Board is a for-profit institution, and a lot of what they provide is being phased out. It really feels like we’re at the beginning of the end of standardized college admissions

Park is unusual, even among private schools, in that it does not offer AP classes, which are meant to prepare students specifically to take the AP exams. A few classes, like Calculus and Intensive Spanish Language and Culture (ISLA), are designed with their respective AP exams in mind, but do not follow the exact AP curriculum. Every spring, math teacher Arnaldo Cohen offers ‘AP Sundays’ for the AP Calculus AB exam, and other departments, like science and foreign language, also run review sessions and administer practice tests.

Students preparing to take the AP exams now find themselves facing a very different test, one that they may be unsure of how to prepare for. “The lack of communication [from College Board] on how the test will be formatted this close to the test leads to very unprepared test-takers,” junior Jordyn Harris said. “I feel like the scores on the new tests will be lower than the original test, which doesn’t reflect how hard students have been working all year.”

According to Co-Director of College Coun-seling Matt Hannibal, college admissions of-fices are unsure how they will evaluate students’ AP scores this year. “I think where it’s going to get complicated is whether or not colleges will accept credit for AP [scores]... That’s where it will get messy,” he said. “It’s up in the air right now because nobody really knows what the tests look like, on the college side.”

In addition to confusion and uncertainty among students who have been studying for

tests, and [the COVID-19 pandemic] is just speeding things up.”

On April 1, the University of California sys-tem announced that students applying in the 2020-21 season would no longer be required to submit test scores, and many other institutions have made similar announcements.

“I hope that [the changes to this year’s stan-dardized testing] force colleges to re-evaluate how they evaluate students and force them to recognize that maybe the SAT and the ACT are not necessary to make decisions about who to enroll and who not to enroll,” Hannibal said.

“My biggest worry about standardized test-ing is the uncertainty... I was going to take the SAT in March, but it was cancelled due to the coronavirus.”

— Jordyn Harris ’21

their teaching,” Upper School Science Chair Julie Rogers said.

Candidates might also be able to submit a pre-recorded video of one of their own classes, design a lesson plan and share it with the de-partment, or do a much shorter virtual lesson.

“One thing that is different for modern lan-guage teaching is that if the candidate is not

teacher is getting the students to speak.”Each department values something different

in these demo lessons, but the one thing that will be lost for all departments is in-person interac-tion with students.

“Watching someone’s demo lesson really gives you a sense of how they interact with students and if it feels like they are connecting

“In order to understand Park, you have to understand our people. We could not take students out of the interview process. They are what we do. They are why you come to Park.”

— Associate Head of School Priscilla Morales

Features The Postscript APRIL 29, 2020//Celebrating virtual holidays

by LUCY DEMSKY ’21Sometimes you just have to make the most

of the situation. While it feels as if many things in our world are changing, the holidays that many of us celebrate continue to go on, even though families and friends cannot be together in person.

The Jewish holiday of Passover started on April 8, and while being in person is usually a large part of having a Seder, families and com-munities were still able to celebrate despite be-ing apart. Upper School music teacher Adele Dinerstein continued to celebrate Passover with her family over Zoom.

“Our first night Seder included family, ca-nines, and friends in Denver, New Orleans, Charlottesville, Baltimore, upstate New York, and Rockville,” Dinerstein said.

“Each family had an online copy of a Hag-gadah so we could all read and recite from the same source.”

At Dinerstein’s Seder, each family that par-ticipated had their own computer and was ef-fectively able to use Zoom.

While it felt as if her whole family was there, Dinerstein commented that it still felt weird to not be cooking for other people.

“We prepared enough food for 8 even though there were only 2 of us,” Dinerstein said. “The food lasted several nights.”

There are traditionally two Seders to cel-ebrate Passover, and Dinerstein’s second Seder was with members of the Park community. The

4

Park Jazz Collective (PJC) held a second Seder over Zoom with all of the members in the group.

“I enjoyed the Seder, even if it was from a distance,” Jonas Cohen ’21 said. “I wasn’t going to have a second Seder with my family, and it was nice to see everyone again and to celebrate the holiday with each other.”

While it was great to see family and friends over Zoom, there were technical difficulties for

some. “It was really weird because nobody knew

how to use Zoom, so everyone was talking over each other,” Izzy Hettleman ’20 noted. “It was

Students modify independent studiesby JACOB HIRSCHHORN ’21 and

AARON HIRSCHHORN ’21

Independent studies are an important and unique part of the Upper School curriculum. Students have the opportunity to design their own class for a semester if they want to study a topic that is not being taught. Even with the coronavirus-imposed self-isolation period, stu-dents enrolled in independent studies are finding ways to continue their projects.

Fiona Brummer ’21 and Sam Cochran ’20 had intended to create three simulations for history teacher Katherine Arner’s F Block History 10 class for their independent study. “The original plan was to make several simulations that had a non-Western perspective,” Cochran said. “One on the Meiji Restoration, one on the Ottoman Tanzimat Reforms, and one on colonial West Africa.”

“Our whole project was devel-oping [a simulation] that we could execute in a classroom,” Brummer said. However, with school being conducted over Zoom, Brummer and Cochran were forced to improvise.

“We’ve moved to basing the ex-perience on a Weebly website,” Co-chran said. The students in Arner’s class will use assignments and other resources posted on the website to create historically accurate charac-ters and arguments for the simulation. The final simulation will take place over Zoom, in breakout rooms and full class discussions.

Although the implementation of their project has changed drastically, the two are optimistic about how the simulations will turn out. They were forced to cut out the Ottoman simulation, how-ever Brummer is replacing it with a unit based on the Spanish Flu. It will demonstrate “how all the changes in international relations and glo-balization that the students have been learning about all year influenced the rapid spread of the

pandemic,” Brummer said. “Given our current situation, I think this is a great idea for a unit.”

Jensen Gaither ’20 had a similar experience with his project. His independent study is called the Internet of Bees. Over the past two years, Gaither built an internet-connected monitoring system for Park’s beehives.

However, the system often had power and connection issues, so Gaither used to have to go and fix it every couple of weeks. “I knew I’d be

leaving next year and I wanted to get everything working,” Gaither said, so he decided to use his independent study to fix the system so that constant check-ups would not be necessary in the future.

At first, social distancing did not affect

also hard to sing and pray as a group because of the delay on Zoom.”

While families were able to gather over Zoom, many families chose to continue their celebrations with only their immediate fam-ily. Aylah Dhruv ’21 celebrated Easter with her family, and it was no different than any other year.

“My family celebrates Easter by having a big family brunch and breaking out all the fancy dishes,” Dhruv said.

“Throughout the day, my sister and I get Easter baskets filled with chocolate and gifts and we dye eggs and we look for the eggs all around the house.”

Another way that people are adapting to us-ing Zoom while in isolation is throwing birth-day parties over Zoom, often surprise birthday parties. “My birthday was definitely different than usual,” Abby Berkowitz ’21 said.

“I wasn’t able to celebrate the way I nor-mally would have, but my family went out of their way to make it special anyway. I did like the fact that I was able to celebrate with all my friends on a Zoom call.”

Even though the world is rapidly changing around us, our communities have still found ways to stay connected and celebrate with each other despite the circumstances.

“Our friends had missed each other,” Cohen said. “So it was really nice to see everyone again [on Zoom], and to celebrate the holiday with each other.”

Gaither’s plan at all. “I was already working on my own, and when school closed I was able to just take everything home,” he said. However, the campus closure posed some problems. “I’ve gotten to the testing phase and I can’t get to the bees,” he said. “I can work a bit on the power system and refining the code, but for now I’m mostly in a holding pattern.”

The biggest change for Gaither has been the timeline of his project. “[The schedule] has

been stretched way out,” he said, “so I’ll probably finish this project in the summer.” However, he is not worried about not being able to finish the project. “I may even achieve more,” he said. “Working from home lets me be in my home workshop, which is better equipped than the spaces I was in at school.”

While these two independent studies have been greatly affected by distance learning, the same was not true for Benny Rubin ’20.

For his independent study, Rubin was creating an interpreter for the computer programming language LISP, written in Python, another programming language. This means that his interpreter will take code written in LISP as input and be able to read and run the program.

Since the entire project was on-line in the first place, “nothing in my plan has had to change due to distance learning,” Rubin said. He will finish out his project as origi-nally planned.

Independent studies are a special part of Park’s curriculum, and this semester students have been partici-pating in a wide range of projects. Distance learning has altered these

projects in different ways, and while some in-dependent studies have been greatly affected, others have not had to change at all.

In the end, the students pursuing indepen-dent studies offer a unique perspective on how distance learning has affected the school.

photo courtesy Adele DinersteinUpper School Music Chair Adele Din-erstein’s grandson over the Passover holiday.

Senior projects take new form

by ARENAL HAUT ’20

Senior projects have taken a very differ-ent form this year. Each year, seniors have the chance to spend six weeks working on a project of their choosing. Typically, projects include internships, shadowing professionals, independent projects, and more. In the current situation surrounding the novel coronavirus, many seniors have had to completely redesign their project to enable work from home.

But if anyone can do it, Addy Claybour ’20 believes that her class can. “I’m very inspired by everyone else in the grade. Everyone has very creative answers about what they want to pursue while they are in quarantine. We’re a very resilient grade and we’re bouncing back,” Claybour said.

There are a wide variety of projects, includ-ing being a teacher’s assistant in virtual elemen-tary school classes, training for a marathon, gaining new language skills, cooking, construc-tion, and gardening.

There’s even going to be an elaborate scav-enger hunt for Park students to attempt. This ar-ticle features three projects, but they are only a glimpse of what the class of 2020 is working on.

Claybour is writing a graphic novella based on the personalities of her dogs, but the illustra-tions represent her pets as “cute extraterrestrial beings.”

She’s aiming for 45 pages, but mainly wants to give the characters a story. Claybour has taken the situation as an opportunity to “try something new.”

Dash Silberg ’20 has been using Computer Aided Design (CAD) with robotics since eighth grade, and now he’s decided to take this time to learn the software more formally.

Throughout the process, he plans to design and 3D print products to help a nearby hospital.

Silberg’s project supervisor, Pete Sloane, is a doctor at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, so Silberg plans to design products useful in a medical setting. This is a unique opportunity for Silberg. “Whatever I do end up printing, I’ll actually be designing myself,” he said.

Currently, Silberg is considering projects including ventilator splitters and face masks. Although projects “are unique this year,” as Silberg said, that’s not stopping him from pur-suing his passions.

Sam Cochran ’20 is building a strip wood canoe for his project. He explains the concept as “a style where you take thin narrow strips of wood and glue them together around a frame,” finishing with epoxy fiberglass.

The result is a seamless canoe that “looks pretty” and “has no ribcage on the inside,” Cochran explained. He is using a book called ‘Building a Strip Canoe,’ from 1985, which explains the necessary process, materials, and dimensions.

Cochran’s canoe is going to be made of western red cedar wood, with components of cherry wood. His canoe is going to be a 16 foot, flat bottom boat that is 36 inches wide, and 13 inches deep at its largest points.

Cochran’s father and grandfather built a can-vas canoe together when his father was young, so he was inspired to take on a similar project, but with a twist. “This will definitely be the biggest, most complex woodworking project I’ve ever done,” Cochran said. “For me, this is a bit of a silver lining. I like this project more than my [original one], and I am [now] more excited overall. It’ll definitely fill the time!” It’s intricate and difficult, but he’s excited for the challenge.

Clearly, seniors have no shortage of exciting ideas to fill their time during quarantine. So if you’re bored, reach out to a senior. Many are eager to share what they’re working on!

images courtesy Fiona Brummer ’21

Images of the website created by Fiona Brummer ’21 and Sam Cochran ’20 for their independent study on two different historical simulations.

5 The Postscript FEATURES April 29, 2020

by NORI LEYBENGRUB ’21 and SAMANTHA SOLOMON ’22

Olagunju coordinates service opportunities

Civic engagement continues in pandemicby NORI LEYBENGRUB ’21

image courtesy Isabella Otterbein ’22

Hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, com-munities, groups, and individuals all over the world are engaging in various service activi-ties to help both those who require aid due to the virus and those who are on the front lines. Social media pages have sprouted up to help people deal with their new reality and to shed light on volunteers delivering food and supplies to the vulnerable.

Neighbors in Ottawa, Canada leave free food in their front yards and on door steps, while a pizza shop in Budapest, Hungary de-livers free pizza to the elderly. Property owners offer rentals to health care providers living apart from their own families. The Italian Red Cross and its volunteers aid the homeless through dai-ly temperature checks, meals, and hygiene kits. Ruby Hye, a community organizer in Canada, uses the term ‘caremongering,’ to highlight the importance of a community supporting itself.

Our own Park community is a beautiful demonstration of love and support during these troubling times, as students, faculty, and their families have taken up their own ‘caremonger-ing’ projects.

A popular, and helpful, activity is making masks, either for one another or for the brave doctors and nurses who care for patients at local hospitals while placing their lives on the line.

Upper School Modern Language Chair and French teacher Jenny Sorel spent an evening at the Johns Hopkins Consolidated Service Center, at a distance from the many other vol-unteers, making face shields. Johns Hopkins Medicine outlines many ways to help in a dedi-cated page on its website.

Upper School Spanish teacher Ileana Imhoff has used a triple layer surgical mask model re-inforced by three layers of cotton material to produce masks for friends and family, including many Upper School faculty members. Imhoff was happy to rise to the challenge. “I remem-bered how much I love sewing, but because of my busy life, I hadn’t done it for a long time,” she said. “So, time at home and a real need for masks gave me the perfect excuse to get my sewing machine out and start sewing again!”

Some students have also taken up mask-making, including Isabella Otterbein ’22. Ot-tebein is a member of the Park tech crew and has been a costume maker for Park productions.

During this time, there are plenty of ways to stay involved with both the Park and greater Baltimore communities. Director of Civic En-gagement and Service Learning Segun Ola-gunju hopes that students will continue to stay connected during this time. “There are many ways to stay engaged with our community,” Olagunju said. “You can do little things like writing a note, saying thank you, calling a loved one and even sewing a mask,”

Olagunju has a webpage on the Upper School Online Learning website filled with volunteer opportunities and resources high-lighting the skills needed to effectively volun-teer. The page also includes links to videos and articles to encourage action among students and adults alike It is a collection of activities that members of the Park community have participated in or discovered.

Olagunju hopes it will serve as “the go-to source for encouragement and inspiration around civic engagement.” On Wednesday, April 15, Olagunju hosted a drop-in Zoom call

for students and faculty to come together to write notes of encouragement and gratitude for health workers at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), who are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 response.

Additionally, the Upper School Neighbor-hood Revitalization Club (NRC), is working alongside Civic Works to help support senior citizens. Since Civic Works can no longer have volunteers on vacant lot projects, NRC is assist-ing in their efforts to serve approximately 200 senior citizens in senior living facilities located in both East and West Baltimore, helping to collect canned food and make masks.

“I would love for Upper School students to commit to providing the masks that the Ameri-Corps workers and the 200 seniors and their families need. If we could come together as a community and do that for others it would be incredible,” Olagunju said.

Like the GBMC note writing campaign, Ola-gunju is hopeful that NRC’s mask-making proj-ect will bring the Park community together to support COVID-19 relief efforts in the greater Baltimore community.

Letter writing to hospital staff promotes community connections

image courtesy Rachael Kaplan ’21

Colorful letters of gratitude written to staff at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). Many community members are writing notes to health care workers in the Baltimore area to show solidarity and to commend them for their strength and resilience during this time.

Now, Otterbein is using her sewing skills to make masks for local hospitals. Made out of elastic and cotton fabric, Otterbein’s masks can be used over the N-95 masks worn by medical professionals. After washing, drying, and iron-ing fabric, Otterbein cuts it into one of four dif-ferent mask patterns that she uses. Her designs include two types of fitted mask patterns, one with a filter pocket and one without, while the other two are surgical style masks, made with either elastic or fabric ties. Upon completion, Otterbein washes the masks once more and then packages them for delivery.

She has made over 80 masks, and uses her free time after school, between classes, and

Isabella Otterbein, poses in her mask-making workspace. She has created over 80 cotton and elastic masks of various designs. They have been donated to local medical facilites, such as the Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital.

sometimes even during class.“I really enjoy making the masks and I feel like I am making a difference,” Otterbein said. “I really want to make sure that anyone who needs one can get one.”

Otterbein, like many others, was new to mask-making and had many questions. She was able to learn by contacting organizations and consulting the website of a fabric shop in Baltimore, Domesticity, which has dedicated an entire page to the process, including sewing tutorials, hospital requirements, and drop-off protocols. She has gotten most of her material from Domesticity as well, in addition to fabric scraps from past projects. Otterbein has also

put out a request for donations of 100% cotton t-shirt or fabric.

Otterbein’s masks have fun patterns and col-ors and she has focused on donating them to pediatric units, such as the Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital, where she recently delivered a batch. She is also planning to send more of her masks to Anne Arundel Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and University of Maryland Medical Center. “My hope is that it brings a smile to people’s faces and makes their lives a little better. It’s not difficult to make the masks once you do it for a while, and it’s nice to know that others are benefitting from what we can create,” Otterbein said.

“I warn you, youths of Rome learn the noble arts, not just to defend some trembling client: like the crown, the grave judge, the elected senate, a woman will give her hand, won by eloquence.” This quote is a favor-ite of mine, along with “Art works when it’s hidden: discovery brings shame and time destroys faith in everything of merit.” These two, are just a small section of the magnifi-cent imagery and description that Ovid includes in his short work.

I never expected that I would have so much

Arts & Culture The Postscript April 29, 2020 // 6

Escape screens with podcastsby SAM COCHRAN ’20

“Love is a king of warfare. Slackers dismiss! There are no cowards guarding this standard,” declares Ovid in the fifth part of the second book of Ars Amatoria, or The Art of Love. This queer work of ancient Roman poetry was writ-ten 2,018 years ago. It has managed to survive over two millennia of wars, famines, plagues, and other human catastrophes that have led to the loss of the vast majority of all classical Greek and Roman literature. Whatever man-aged to survive only lasted because it was high quality literature that was coveted, collected, and distributed throughout the world. Ovid’s Ars Amatoria is a perfect example of such lit-erature.

The Art of Love is a very intriguing, mildly helpful, and partially explicit self-help book educating both men and women on how to find and keep a mate. The book is a nice respite from the constant dread of our current coronavirus quarantine, as it certainly made me laugh, and it even has an added bonus educational effect. If you ever want to (or have to) read works such

as The Iliad or The Odyssey, this is a superb introduction to the poetic cadence to which you will have to get accustomed.

To begin, The Art of Love is divided into three separate books (though do not be trou-bled, as the collection in total would barely count as a short story). The first two books are guides for men, while the final book is a guide for women. These three books are broken up into a multitude of parts, with unique, yet rel-evant, titles such as “Don’t Forget Her Birth-day!” and “Take Care with How You Look.” But do not be fooled. These relatively helpful sections are also marred with sections such as “Make Him Believe He’s Loved” and “Have Other Friends: But Be Careful,” which caution men to be careful about lovers on the side, as this particularly sensational quote shows us: “These are crimes to make cautious men afraid. Not that my censure condemns you to only one girl: the gods forbid! A wife could hardly expect that.”

However, these troublesome sections can easily be put out of mind when considering the poetic beauty of Ovid’s stanzas. He writes,

Ars Amatoria is high quality and timelessfun with this novel. Its poetry is

the epitome of eloquence, lay-ered with just the right hint of

wit and clever insinuation. While it does make many

references to Greek and Roman mythology, now is as good a time as ever to acquaint

yourself with this racier side of history.

Ovid is a spectacular poet and his work will

continue to amuse and inspire writers and

poets of the fu-ture.

by ERIC SMITH ’22

Is quarantine getting you down? Are you running out of activities to fill the void of your once-great social life? Do you need something to fill the hours that doesn’t involve looking at a screen? Well I’ve got the podcasts for you!

Mike Duncan’s The History of Rome and Robin Pierson’s The History of Byzantium are two perfect podcasts for quarantine. Together, they tell the complete history of the Roman civi-lization, from its beginnings as a small city-state to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. These podcasts aren’t two separate stories, and they should not be thought of as such. Rather, they are two halves of the same story.

The History of Rome ends with the fall of the western empire, and The History of Byzan-tium simply picks up where it left off. For the most part, the content is focused on Rome’s political and military history, but occasional pauses in the narrative look at daily life in the empire, from education to religious practices. The creators also spend some time looking at how the ancient world was different from the modern world. They also analyze the impact of certain people, places, events, and organizations on future Roman society and the history of the Mediterranean.

Both podcasts are very accessible, and the creators clearly know that their audience may not have much, if any, previous knowledge about the famous civilization. The narrative is told as chronologically as possible, and there-fore more like a story rather than a historical analysis. They’re definitely history podcasts, but you’ll be surprised by the amount of con-nection you feel to the numerous players in the long story of the empire. The details can get a

little complicated at times (particularly with the names of people and places), but that occasional complexity has never interfered with my overall understanding or enjoyment.

If sound quality is important to you, you should know that the beginning of The History of Rome isn’t very good in this department. However, as the show continues it does im-prove. Now, you could listen to any old podcast during quarantine, but I think the combination of the quality of these podcasts and the subject matter makes for the perfect listening experi-ence. The Roman name is so well known, but the actual events and people that defined this culture are not. The more that I have learned about Rome, the more I have understood not just the extent to which it has impacted Western civilization, but also how and why that impact has lasted. The podcast format makes it easy to see these historical trends.

If historical comparison isn’t your thing, how about Game of Thrones? The story of Rome weaves a tale of political intrigue, con-quest, philosophy, and societal unrest so crazy that George R. R. Martin’s head would explode trying to come up with it. Also, both podcasts are very long, and can therefore take up a lot of idle time. The History of Rome has about 200 episodes ranging from 20 to 30 minutes long, and The History of Byzantium is on its 204th episode and still going strong. But don’t let that intimidate you. With their charismatic and witty hosts, these shows are very easy to pick up, and listening to them is a casual experience.

Both can be found on Spotify and, on iOS, the Podcasts app. I highly recommend them to everyone, but particularly anyone who is inter-ested in expanding their historical knowledge or just likes a good story.

The History of Rome podcast from Mike Duncan aired between 2007 and 2012. The podcast won an award for best educational podcast in 2010.

You’ve seen new movie reviews, but this time I’m going to switch it up and review an old one! Contagion came out in the fall of 2011, and has been blowing up in the past few months. The film follows the timeline of a pandemic that originates in Hong Kong, travels to the US, and then spreads all over the world. As you can imagine, any sort of movie about a pandemic would claim much fame during these times while we are all stuck inside. But, what makes Contagion so special in comparison to the others?

In the film, Beth Emhoff, played by Gwyn-eth Paltrow contracts the virus and travels from Hong Kong to Minnesota. She dies two days later from what she thought was just harsh jet lag. From that moment on, we see the virus spread like wildfire, killing anyone it infects. The movie simultaneously tracks the virus’ rap-id growth while investigating the story of Beth Imhoff. Contagion has the appeal of a movie about a pandemic like many of the documenta-ries you may see, but it also has the added aspect of a storyline and characters for entertainment. There was one scene in particular that is relat-able to many teens, which is when one of the characters had a make-belief prom set up in her living room since such events are unable to happen given our circumstances.

Another thing I think this movie did a good job of representing were the accurate actions that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) would take. The actions they took in the movie were similar to those we are experiencing to-day. The public had to practice social distancing

and self quarantine, along with wearing masks in public for safety. While the movie shows how the government built emergency hospitals rapidly and without hesitation, it is a delayed process in our reality. It is noteworthy to think about what role the leadership of our country has in comparison to that of the movie. In ad-dition to these actions, they were searching everywhere to find the source of the virus as we are today. This is just another similar detail between the movie and the pandemic we are experiencing.

The film also features many famous celebri-ties in the cast, such as Matt Damon, Gwenyth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law. Con-tagion even features Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the news playing himself, which we are seeing in our lives today. In both the movie and our lives we see many parallels, and while the intensity of the pandemics differ, it is quite strange to see some similarities between a dystopian movie and our real lives. One difference between the movie and our lives is that they were able to find a vaccine for the virus fairly rapidly, while we are still trying to safely find one. This made many viewers question when we would be able to find a vaccine since it would allow us to see other people and return to a somewhat normal life.

Overall, the thing that has really brought this movie to the top of many people’s watchlist is the relatability of it, and the coincidence that a movie released nine years ago could be so simi-lar to the completely new world we are living in today. I recommend Contagion to everyone looking for an interesting movie to spend their time watching!

Contagion is not so fictionalby DARYA ZARFESHAN ’21

image courtesy nypost.com

image courtesy dailybeast.org

image courtesy poetryfoundation.org

A scene from the movie Contagion where Matt Damon leads Anna Jacoby-Heron through an empty supermarket.

SportsThe PostscriptApril 29, 2020 PAGE 7

Teams remain connected off the fieldby WILL PERES ’23

With the measures the school has imple-mented as a result of the coronavirus pandem-ic, distance sports practices have been put into place. But what does that exactly mean for each sport?

Director of Physical Education and Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Robin Lowe ’84 explained what the girls’ lacrosse team has been doing to stay in shape, work on their ball skills, and stay con-nected as a team.

The team set daily goals and weekly goals to accomplish activ-ities relating to conditioning and improving game skills. This could be running, shooting, or footwork.

“We have maintained our team connection really well, but we are desperately missing the ability to test ourselves against others,” Lowe said.

The team stays connected through weekly Zoom meetings and texts through a team chat making sure that they talk everyday.

Boys’ Varsity Tennis Coach Deja Stewart has made a plan for the team to stay in shape over the break.

“We are asking that all players continue to stay active in any way they can -- including but not limited to daily walks/runs. We host weekly

team challenges pushing players to do workout circuits individually or paired,” Stewart said.

The team has also been holding weekly Zoom calls to conduct team meetings and check-ins to make sure that everyone is stay-

ing healthy. Coach Stewart recommends her athletes practice whenever they can, even if that means shadow hitting or watching old reruns of matches.

Boys’ Varsity Baseball Head Coach Andrew Scott spoke about what the team is doing to stay connected. The team comes up with something new to do every week, whether that’s some type of strength or skill training. The athletes also

As we all struggle through endless Zoom calls at Park, we can take solace in the fact that our favorite National Football League (NFL) teams are doing the same. On April 23, the Cincinnati Bengals se-lected Joe Burrow first overall in the first-ever virtual NFL Draft. Spanning the usual three days, teams’ front offices were forced to communicate with each other through similar systems that we are becoming overly familiar with for our classes. The league promised that teams would not be punished for any malfunctions that occur, however the draft seemed to be conducted without a hitch.

From a fan’s perspective, it was quite a strange draft to watch. In order to avoid the inevitable questions about optics sur-rounding hosting a draft in such a difficult time for the world, the league sold it as an escape from the pandemic.

Filled with COVID-19 references, tributes to frontline medical workers, and songs, the 2020 NFL Draft did not feel like it was only about football. The league had a strong plan to avoid seeming tone-deaf, but some of the usual joys of the draft felt overshadowed by the pandemic.

If you read this far you probably fall in one of the following groups: someone editing this column, my parents, or a pretty big football fan.

That being said, I would love to take this opportunity to offer my meaningless opinions on the Ravens 2020 draft haul.

First-round pick Patrick Queen proj-ects as the perfect linebacker in today’s NFL, the Ravens should be quite pleased to have landed him. Southern Methodist University wide receiver James Proche should be the steal of the Ravens draft, as he was one of the most productive players in the country.

The strange circumstances created for some oddities throughout the draft. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick leaving his dog alone to make picks for New England was quite humorous and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s seated fist pump will for-ever be tied to the selection of Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay in my mind.

It seemed that widespread boredom paired with the interesting dynamics that spawned from a fully online draft intrigued sports fans, as a record-breaking average audience of 15.6 million viewers tuned in.

On the Seidlines

by QUINN SEIDENMAN ’21

The Virtual 2020 NFL Draft was a strange, yet needed sports

outlet

Entering his 5th year as head coach of the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team, Coach Josh Davey was excited for another competitive season. Davey started his lacrosse career playing for Reisterstown Recreational Lacrosse League and later joined Baltimore Elite Lacrosse for recruitment purposes.

Davey played for Lynchburg College, now known as the University of Lynchburg, which is ranked third in the country among Division III schools.

Davey is an avid lacrosse player who wanted to bring the sport he loves to younger athletes.

After coaching Park students in the Maccabi Lacrosse games, Davey was offered a job as head coach of the school’s team. He accepted the position in 2015.

Davey is liked and highly respected by his players.

“Our team is really lucky to have Josh. He is a really good coach,” captain Ian Zumpano ’20 said.

“The amount of expertise and experience he has is unprecedented. He cares a ton about

this program, and he’s involved all year round.” Coach Davey brings tons of energy and posi-

tivity to the team. “I would love for us to take a huge step cul-

ture wise,” Davey said. His goals for this 2020 season included cre-

ating a focused environment, becoming a tough team, and winning a championship.

The move to distance learning has not inter-rupted Davey’s goals as he is hosting weekly Zoom check-ins to maintain camaraderie. Dav-ey also works at Inside Lacrosse as a Sales and Events Manager.

by GEFEN NUSINOV ’21

meet every week on a Zoom call to catch up on what everyone is doing to stay active.

“I think it’s been good, for me at least, to still get together every once in a while. It’s not normal by any stretch, but it’s been the highlight

of my weeks so far,” Scott said. Josh Davey, Head Coach of

the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Team has implemented various ways for the team to stay connected. The players are expected each day to at least pick up a stick, or watch film and any other la-crosse highlights.

They are also encouraged to workout on their own. “

Life isn’t always fair, and I am hoping our guys realize the opportunity they have as a member of this team to get bet-ter each and every day,” Coach Davey said in response to the

idea of there being any benefits to this quarantine.

While the team also conects though weekly Zoom calls to watch film, keep-ing team comradery and staying together is im-portant more than anything.

The situation these teams are in right now was unanticipated, yet everyone is doing every-thing they can to stay healthy.

These players’ seasons ended abruptly, yet with this surprising outcome, these spring teams seem more connected than they’ve ever been.

.

The Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey team will play in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) “B” conference next year after a loss in the IAAM “C” conference cham-pionship in November 2019, and two back-to-back “C” conference championships in 2016 and 2017.

In 2018, the Bruins entered the IAAM “B” conference after success in the “C” conference, but fell short in the postseason with a 4-3 loss against Annapolis Area Christian School.

Overall, the team went 4-7 that year with a dominating 6-0 win against rival Friends School.

The team prepares to enter the “B” confer-ence for the second time with a strong senior class, and motivation from last year’s tough championship loss.

Park will compete against past rivals from the “C” conference such as Friends and Mercy, and new opponents such as St. Paul’s School for Girls and Roland Park Country School.

“Moving up to the B conference is well de-served after all of our hard work and collective

dedication to improve. The competition will be tough, but we are ready for the challenge and plan to play hard,” Gefen Nusinov ’21 said

In addition to field hockey, Girls’ Varsity Tennis will also move up this fall.

The Bruins will compete in the IAAM “A” conference after a successful fall in the “B” conference in 2019. Tennis competed in the “A” conference for several years–until 2019–where they remained in the bottom half of the conference.

These moves will allow the Bruins exposure to a whole new level of play.

by CALLIE KROSIN ’21

The Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) and the Maryland Interscho-lastic Athletic Association (MIAA) formally announced on Tuesday, April 21 a decision to cancel the remainder of the 2020 spring sports seasons.

image courtesy insidelacrosse.com Josh Davey is the Head Coach of Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse.

image courtesy baltimorefishbowl.com Kelly Field, above, is currently empty due to the shift to online distance learning.

MIAA and IAAM officially cancel spring seasons

Field Hockey, Tennis move IAAM conferences

This decision was prompted by Governor Larry Hogan’s order that schools would remain closed until May 15, 2020.

Although teams will not play, the IAAM will still award athletes, particularly seniors, missing their final season–with All Conference.

This is one way of many to recognize the seniors, who have missed out on their last high

school sports season ever.“It is very devastating that our season is offi-

cially canceled, but it was unavoidable,” Becca Frank ’21 said.

“While I know that the decision was because of the safety and health of our community, it sucks because we will never get this season back. You only get four of them,” she said.

by CALLIE KROSIN ’21

Josh Davey returns for fifth year as Boys’ Lacrosse Head Coach